Dennis Kucinich sues House cafeteria over olive pit

Liberal sometime presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich is suing the Longworth House Office Building Cafeteria after biting into an unpitted olive, claiming the cafeteria sells “dangerous” sandwiches, according to Talking Points Memo.

The Ohio Democrat alleges that he cracked a tooth, and claims he suffered “serious and permanent dental and oral injuries requiring multiple oral and dental surgeries.”

He is suing Restaurant Associates and three other firms that supply and operate the cafeteria, asking for $150,000.

“The complaint is pretty bare-boned: It claims that in April 2008, Kucinich purchased a ‘sandwich wrap’ from the Longworth Cafeteria with an errant olive pit lurking within,” TPM reported.

The Kucinich complaint reads as follows:

Said sandwich wrap was unwholesome and unfit for human consumption, in that it was represented to contain pitted olives, yet unknown to the plaintiff contained an unpitted olive or olives which plaintiff did not reasonably expect to be present in the food prepared for him …

As a result of consuming said unfit and unwholesome food, plaintiff sustained serious and permanent dental and oral injuries requiring multiple surgical and dental procedures, and has sustained other damages as well, including significant pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment.

Kucinich is a vegan, although able to serve up red meat to party faithful on the hustings. He introduced a House resolution to begin impeachment investigation of President Bush.

Talking Points Memo included a video of Kucinich on the House floor on April 22, 2008, five days after encountering the olive pit. “He looks fine and talks normal,” it reported.